


If Fate Allows It

by hargrovemax



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Awkward Flirting, Cinnamon Roll Scorpius Malfoy, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Muggle Technology, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Post-Hogwarts, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-09 08:22:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19884553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hargrovemax/pseuds/hargrovemax
Summary: Albus slid the bill towards him with a cheeky smile. “Maybe I’ll see you again in this life, Malfoy, if fate allows it.” And with that, he was waltzing out the door.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> here's a cute little tooth-rotting fluff fic i've been thinking about for a while. enjoy! :)

When the little bell on the cafe door jingled and Scorpius noticed who walked in, he couldn’t have helped but stare. Those bright green eyes couldn’t have belonged to anyone else but the person he least expected to see here. 

As the man approached the counter, Scorpius raised an eyebrow. “What’s the son of the chosen one doing at a lowly little muggle cafe?” Albus grimaced. 

“Shut up. Malfoy,” he said, and Scorpius smirked. It had been almost three years since he’d heard Albus say that in the very same annoyed tone. Hogwarts seemed ages ago from now, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t miss it. Potter and he had always had a petty --but not serious-- rivalry, full of these occasional little jabs and competing over their assignment marks. They were never, friends, that’s for certain. “There’s a reason I’m in a part of town where no one knows me,” Albus said. 

Scorpius knew the feeling all too well. It wasn’t easy trying to get a job in the Wizarding World for him; when anyone saw the name Malfoy on his resume, they’d wince and give him a funny look, like he was an actual Death Eater or something.

Meanwhile, Albus had hopped on to one of the stools at the counter. “So, what brings you here, specifically?” he asked. 

Albus quirked an eyebrow. “I mean, I might be wrong, but don’t people usually go to a coffee shop for… dare I say, coffee?” Scorpius rolled his eyes, which elicited a chuckle from the other man. “What would you suggest? I know nothing about muggle drinks. Like, nothing.”

“I’m fully tempted to make you something disgusting, you know,” Scorpius said. “But I’ll be nice,” he turned towards the coffee machine and stirred up a caramel macchiato, topped with a dollop of whipped cream. It was nothing special, really, but the little gasps from behind him as he pressed buttons on the machine were everything. It was all he could do to not burst out laughing. 

When he presented the cup to Potter, his eyes widened. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were born to do this,” he said, taking a tentative sip. He paused for a moment, then smiled and took another. “It’s strange,” Albus said, thoughtfully. “But good.”

Scorpius cocked his head. “ I think that’s the first time you’ve said anything genuinely nice to me,” he said. Potter grinned. He didn’t know why, but there was something nice about how much Potter appreciated a cup of coffee he threw together in five minutes. Scorpius watched as he scooped up some whipped cream with the tip of his finger, then tasted it warily, his tongue darting out ever so slightly. 

That was precisely when he realized he was staring a bit too long for it to be normal, so lowered his gaze and began wiping down the counter. Anything to keep him distracted, honestly. He had to remind himself that Albus Potter was essentially a stranger to him. They hadn’t seen each other for three years, after all, and three years does a lot to a person. He wondered what Potter was like now. They’d both outgrown their obnoxious childhood rivalry, hadn’t they?

“I never thought you’d end up here of all places, Malfoy,” Potter said after a while, slurping on the last bit of his coffee. Scorpius didn’t know if he should be concerned that the man had finished it so quickly. 

“Not that it’s any of your business, Potter, but this isn’t my main job,” he drawled. “ I had some extra time, so I thought it’d be nice to work here.”

Albus leaned forward slightly, resting his hand on his chin. His eyes twinkled. Scorpius mentally punched himself for finding that attractive and had to remind himself not to stare once again. “Why here?” he said. 

“It’s-” Scorpius looked around, basking in the soft retro music that thrummed in the background and the gentle murmur of the people that sat in the cafe, working or talking. The afternoon sunlight streamed in through the windows of the shop, bathing it in gold. “Quiet,” he said finally. “I like quiet.”

Neither of said anything for a moment, as Potter gazed at the ambiance around them, smiling softly. “The world needs more quiet.” he said finally, and then grinned at him. It was the first time Scorpius had seen his eyes up this close, and they were gorgeous when the light hit them. How had he never noticed them back in Hogwarts? he found himself wondering. 

Oh, right. It was the petty childhood rivalry.

“I haven’t seen you in years, you know.”

Albus’s voice snapped him out of his mild daydream. He looked up. “Right. And look where we’ve ended up.” He bowed his head again to clean some glasses. Anything to not look into his stupid pretty eyes, because then his mind would play tricks on him again. “Funny how we bumped into each other.”

“Some would say it’s fate,” Albus mused, and Scorpius’s eyes darted upwards. He saw the green eyes twinkle again, with mirth. “I’m kidding, no need to look so aghast.”

Scorpius parted his lips to protest, but Albus hopped off the stool and placed the cup on the counter. “That was lovely, however,” he said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a five-pound bill. “Your barista skills would put the cooks at Hogwarts to shame.” Scorpius rolled his eyes. 

Albus slid the bill towards him with a cheeky smile. “Maybe I’ll see you again in this life, Malfoy, if fate allows it.” And with that, he was waltzing out the door. 

“Nice to see you’re still a cheesy bastard,” Scorpius called after him as he left, and he heard the man laugh before he was gone. 

Then Scorpius was just standing there, pink-faced and flustered. He was smiling. Why was he smiling, goddamit? He buried his face in his hands to bask in his embarrassment for a moment, then picked up the five-pound bill to put away in the register. There was a note under it. 

Scorpius inhaled. What did Potter do this time? He thought to himself, slowly unfolding the piece of paper. There was a tiny message scrawled on it. 

"I have no idea how we wound up meeting but it felt right.  
+44 587 22345"

Scorpius felt a grin spread across his face. This really shouldn’t be happening, he thought, but he tucked away the note in his pocket and pulled out his phone. 

Scorpius: I can't tell if this was smooth or just dorky

Albus: That was the smoothest move you’ve ever seen

Scorpius: Dorky it is

Albus:Come onn  
You appreciated it

Scorpius:You wish  
Why do you have a muggle cellphone anyway?

Albus:They’re fascinating.  
Like they actually scare me sometimes how do they work

Scorpius: ….  
youre literally a wizard

Albus: And muggles will always continue to confuse me. 

Scorpius finally looked up from his phone when a red-faced customer started to scream at him. He wasn’t bothered, though. Probably because he was falling so damn hard.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah this chapter is an excruciatingly slow burn and fluffy as hell but I hope you like it! thank you for all the feedback :)

After an excruciatingly long shift, Scorpius packed up his stuff and stood outside the cafe, leaning on the pale brick wall. He’d been itching to reply to Albus all day, and he didn’t even know why. This was the person he’d considered the farthest from a friend back at Hogwarts. What were they now? He couldn’t tell. He quickly read Albus’s last message and typed out a reply.

Albus: And muggles will always continue to confuse me.

Scorpius: And this is precisely why you probably shouldn’t have a cellphone

Albus: Oh haha.  
You free later this week, say tomorrow? Maybe you could teach me how to work this thing 

Scorpius grinned at his phone. His cluelessness was kind of adorable.

Scorpius: Sadly, no. I have last shift tomorrow, so I’m working until 11 pm

Albus: Do muggles drink coffee at 11 pm?

Scorpius: You’d be surprised at how many.

Albus: Are they okay

Scorpius: …  
No probably not 

\---

It was 10:58 PM on a Friday night and Scorpius was at work. He really was living the wild adult life. He sighed as he rang up the last customer of the day, and watched with relief as the little bell dinged for the last time that day, and he could finally leave. He couldn’t wait to climb straight into bed with a glass of milk and some crappy muggle show and doze off like that.

He started to wipe down the coffee machine when he heard the goddamn door ding, and he almost screamed. “I’m sorry, we’re closed,” he said, doing his best to keep the snark out of his voice. But when he turned around, he stopped in his tracks. 

“Potter?” he said, arching his eyebrows. 

The other man flashed his signature cheeky smile. “You don’t have to sound so happy to see me, Malfoy, he said, sauntering towards the counter and leaning on it. 

“I, uh-” he cracked a smile. “You do realize that it’s literally 11 pm, right?”

“Of course, that’s why I’m here.” Potter sat on one of the stools and rested his elbows on the counter. “I need your help.”

“Here?”

“Precisely.”

“What could you possibly need from a muggle place?”

“The very thing you specialize in.”

Scorpius stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, you’re here to get coffee at 11 on a Friday night.” He said, biting his lip to stop from laughing again. “Albus Potter, you really are something else.”

Potter fake pouted. “Hey, I have a good reason.” he sighed and leaned back. “I’ve got this application slot that opens at 4 am, and I need to be the first one to sign up. And since, you know, coffee’s supposed to keep you awake, I thought I’d ask the one person who I’d say is pretty experienced in that,”

Scorpius felt a flutter in his heart, then internally cursed himself. He wasn’t a 12-year-old, so why was Albus making him feel all warm and giggly. Instead, he smirked at the man sitting across him. “I’d say that’s the dumbest idea you’ve had, but I’d rather see you trying to drink an espresso.”

“A what?” Albus said, concerned, as Scorpius turned around and pressed a button on the coffee machine. A couple of beeps and whirrs and Scorpius handed him a tiny shot cup filled with a rich, frothing brown liquid. 

Albus eyes him uncertainly. “I’m still not certain that you’re not going to poison me,” he said, but he took a little sip of it anyway. Scorpius watched as Albus’s face screwed up for a moment, and then he was fake-gagging, slamming the shot back on the counter. “Merlin, that’s bitter. What’s in that stuff?” he said, wiping his eyes.

Scorpius could only laugh. He turned around, made himself an espresso shot, and cocked his head at the other man. “Watch and learn,” he said, and then he downed the entire thing in one gulp. Albus had never looked so disgusted yet awed. 

“I think I’m slightly scared of you now,” Albus said, giving his abandoned shot glass a side glance. Scorpius chuckled amusedly, then nudged the glass back to him. “Give it a try.” he beckoned. “Trust me, it’s worth it.”  
So, against every logical bone in his body, Albus finally picked it up and drained the cup, coughing slightly. When he looked back at Scorpius, his eyes were wide. “That felt like heaven,” he said, slowly. Scorpius grinned, pleased, and decided that maybe he could stay a little longer that night.

After a couple more shots each, the two of them were more hopped up on caffeine than they’d ever been. 

“Is it bad that this feels like that one time I tried weed?” Albus asked, spinning dazedly in his chair.

“Think that means it’s working, Scorpius replied. He was still standing behind the counter, but now he hopped onto it and swing his legs over to the other side. “We should do something,” he said, jumping off the counter to land on his feet. “Because this feels amazing, and it won’t last long.”

“Something like what?”

“Like, let’s go to the roof.”

“The roof? Is that a good idea?”

“I’m probably not the best judgement of a good idea right now,” 

“Then let’s do it,” Albus said, and he let Scorpius lead the way up the flight of winding steps. 

Unsurprisingly, the three flights of stairs felt like nothing to them in this state, and when they made it up to the top, it was exhilarating. Scorpius breathed in, basking in the soft glow of city blow taking him back. They sat by the edge, looking out into the silent city, watching the occasional buzz of a passing car.

“Out of all the places I thought I’d end up on a Friday night, this wasn’t one of them,” Scorpius said, suddenly breathless. Albus was sitting right next to him, their shoulders pressed together, and he felt them shake slightly as the other man chuckled. 

“But somehow it feels right, you know?” Albus said, lowering his gaze.

“Weirdly, I know what you mean.”

Neither of them said anything for a while, just letting the beauty of the midnight city sky wash over them. Then Albus finally spoke.

“You know, back at Hogwarts, I never hated you.”

Scorpius perked his head up. “Really? Because I feel like every time we spoke, it was followed with some kind of nasty look or snide comment,”

Albus laughed. “Could you blame me? I was a dumb kid who was convinced that just because your name was Malfoy, I was supposed to hate you,” he sighed. “I wanted to talk to you properly at least a hundred times, but I was always too much of a coward to. And too proud, of course. I didn’t think I could stand it if you’d rejected my offer of friendship.”

Scorpius bit his lip. “Why?” he said softly, and Albus didn’t answer, letting the question hang in silence. Scorpius knew what it meant, and his he felt something surge inside him. 

“You know, I think we’d have been good friends,” Scorpius said, and Albus looked at him.

“Really? Us?”

“Yeah, if you just forget who we are and what our families did to each other,” he said slowly. “Then I’d say we actually are pretty good together.” 

He felt Albus smile next to him. Suddenly Scorpius's cheeks were burning, and he had never been so grateful for the darkness. He turned away from the other man, so he wouldn't notice how flustered Scorpius was. "What about your application?" Scorpius asked quickly, thankful for the change of subject. 

Albus chuckled lightly next to him. "Scorpius," he said, calling him by his name for the first time. "There never was an application."

And then Scorpius's heart was doing that stupid fluttery thing all over again.


End file.
